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Simple Senior Safety Checklist

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• June 12, 2022June 12, 2022
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Security issues are always a concern in a senior’s home and also something to think about if you’re looking for a retirement home. Being concerned about security at your parents’ house is like being a detective. If she sees Mom almost tripping over a rug, she will tack it up or remove it right away. It’s the less obvious areas that can get up and bite us.

If there’s a little raised transition from carpet to tile that you haven’t had a problem navigating, but could have problems in the future, then it’s something you need to fix before you trip and fall. Be proactive, you will gain great peace of mind. So here are some areas that you could take a look at.

Design-Remodel-Move

There are a few options available to you if your elderly parents are still in the two-story house you grew up in. This area should be approached with caution, love, and understanding.

• Option #1 Sell the family’s property and move them into a one-story house. Good idea, but in this real estate market it could be problematic to do so. Have you talked to people about the move? Did they respond with joy, laughter and applause? You may want to read Seven Reasons Seniors Want to Stay Home First for some advice on how they feel about moving.
• Option #2 Move your homes downstairs. If the home is a large family home, they will most likely have a study or formal living room at the top of the stairs that could easily fit into your bedroom. However, most ground floor bathrooms are vanity only, so an expansion might be needed.
• Option #3 Install a stairlift. These stairlifts are easy to install and provide total security to your parents. One thing you need to be sure of is that the lift will work on battery power if there is a power outage at home. If you don’t have mechanical leanings, you may want someone else to install it.

The bathroom

You take water and tiles and mix them with balance and vision issues and you have an area set up for falls. Getting into a tub is not a good idea for an older person, so the first thing to look at is replacing the tub.

• Whether you’re looking at one of those tiered tubs or a tub and shower combo that’s a tiered one, it’ll greatly increase your safety quotient. If the unit you want doesn’t have a molded seat, use a freestanding one. The elderly like to sit down and use the manual wand when taking a shower.
• Also look at the strategically placed support bars. The ones that suck the wall have improved but I don’t know if I would totally trust them. If you’re retrofitting the tub with a shower/tub combo, now would be the time to install 2×4 blocks on the wall that grab bars could be screwed into.
• All faucets must be of the lever type and not a knob type. The elderly generally have lost grip strength and also have arthritis and cannot grip the faucet tightly enough to turn it off. By doing this, you will reduce the risk of serious burn accidents.
• You need to replace the toilet with a handicap height one or you can get one of those raised toilet seats. Place a grab bar within someone’s reach on the toilet or you can get a frame that sits over the toilet and allows the person to use some arm muscles instead of weak leg and hip muscles.
• If the bathroom has double vanities, consider making one of them wheelchair accessible. And don’t forget to widen the door to at least 36″ again for wheelchair and walker access.
• If possible, convert doors to pocket doors; this will make you gain a lot of interior space.

The kitchen

There are so many dangers here and you should look at kitchen safety for your parents like your parents looked at kitchen safety when you were little.

• Do not put anything heavy or bulky in the upper cabinets. Just as they are sliding a pot onto a top shelf, their strength runs out and the pot topples over.
• If the cooktop has burner controls on the back panel, replace the cooktop. You don’t want Mom going near a boiling pot to turn down the heat.
• Here’s a no-brainer: There are no towels hanging over or near the stove.
• To follow the advice above, make sure there is a working fire extinguisher within easy reach.
• The elders get to a point where they don’t really cook anymore, they just bomb. You really don’t need a microwave with all the bells and whistles, just one that defrosts, cooks, and reheats. Think simplicity here and make sure the numbers are large and legible.
• As in the bathroom, all faucets must be of the lever type.

other rooms

• Doors should be reverted to the lever handle type for the same reason faucets are lever type.
• Find rugs and get rid of them.
• Try not to use extension cords at all, but if you must use them, make sure they don’t pose a tripping hazard.
• Look at the direction of travel and the roads. If the path from the sofa to the kitchen or bathroom has a table and chairs encroaching on the path, rearrange the furniture so that the path is straight. If mom bumps into a table, this could be enough to cause a fall.
• In the laundry room, use a lower cabinet for cleaning supplies instead of cabinets above the washer dryer.

Turning on

Lighting and sufficient should not be overlooked. Every room the mother enters or passes through should be inspected to ensure that she is adequately lit. Keep in mind that enough light for you may not be enough for mom. There should be general lighting as well as task lighting.

• Every room that has two entrances must have a three-way light switch installed at each entrance. I could try motion sensor lighting, but in my experience a person is halfway across the room before the light comes on.
• The lighting in the kitchen should be both general and task lighting and again have enough power for Mom to be able to see the oven/microwave controls and read the instructions on the boxes.
• Use plug-in nightlights in bathrooms, bedrooms, hallways, and anywhere else mom may travel after dark. They have night lights that are flat against the wall and only turn on after dark, but provide enough illumination to see if there is an obstacle in the way.

Garage

• If mom is still driving, she should inspect her car for any new dents, scratches, or paint marks. This could indicate that she is losing depth perception and possible loss of peripheral vision. It may be time to talk to her about handing over the car keys. But it is better that she has a plan on how to approach this sensitive issue and what solutions she has in mind.
• Make sure there is enough room for the car, as well as for her to get in and out of the car. This might mean getting rid of a few things in the garage to allow for this.
• If there is a power outage, the garage door opener will not work. Install a lightweight rope with a handle on the existing overhead door and tie it to the side of the garage out of the way. Then see if mom is able to open the door and lift it up. You may need to hire a garage door technician to adjust the spring tension on the doors.
• I have seen many old people’s cars where the trunk and rear bumper are damaged from the garage door slam. One solution is to put the car in the garage where it belongs and suspend a tennis ball from the ceiling to where it makes contact with the windshield in front of the driver. However, this draws attention away from where the car is going and towards the tennis ball. You can try putting a 2×4 on the ground for mom to drive slowly to the garage and feel the 2×4.

Exterior

• You should continually inspect walkways around the house for tripping hazards. Vines that have grown along a path, a flagstone path that was once fine but is now uneven, or even a hose that has been left outside can be dangerous to the person with limited visual acuity.
• If mom can still do some stairs, make sure there is a sturdy railing to support her. Otherwise, a ramp must be installed. Check with your local ADA chapter for guidelines.
• Install a security screen door on the front door so you can still be safe when opening the door to strangers.
• Sliding patio doors must have a zero threshold. This will prevent tripping now and accommodate a walker, wheelchair or scooter later. This can be achieved by installing a small ramp.

Staff

• Telephone communications are important to mom, whether calling or receiving calls from family. There are inexpensive phone systems available that have multiple sets of wireless handsets. If she has enough of these in the rooms she lives in, including the bathroom, then the phone won’t be more than a few steps away when it rings.
• Talk to Mom about not responding to phone requests for money and not opening the security door for someone you don’t know.
• There are personal alarm systems that contact emergency services when a button is pressed. It can be a pendant or wrist device. Some of these systems can be expensive and also have a monthly subscription fee. One we have experience with is the Guardian Alert system which has no monthly subscription and can be programmed to call a family member, neighbor or 911 in any order or just 911. Mom can speak directly to the person on the other side through the device you are wearing. She’s great.

This list sounds like a lot, but as you start to check things off, you’ll find that you have more confidence that Mom is safe in the home she wants to stay in.